It’s been way too long since we’ve heard from Rayman. Ubisoft’s beloved limbless mascot was a platforming titan back in his 2000s hay-day. He’s one of the few game characters to have excellent 2D and 3D games, and he has even left a 🍌dent in the party game space.
While it seems like Ubisoft has moved firmly into other titles, we can at least be nostalgic. Rayman 💖has had a number of iconic moments across his venerable series. From challenging platforminꦆg sections to high octane prison breaks, these are the best moments in the Rayman series.
8 The Opening Moments - Rayman Origﷺins 🎶
Rayman Origins is a stellar game from beginning to eᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚnd. Its best moment, however, may be its first minutes, simply because of how great it was to see Rayman and friends, beautifully rendered in a 2D art style, finally back in his own game after a long hiatus.
It’s a shame that Rayman would once again go on ice after only a few years. There's little doubt that another proper return to the series would be a hit with fans and a chance to bring in new players in the same way that Rayman Origins and Legends did.
7 Power Ups ꦯ- Rayman 3 🌳
First encountered in Rayman 3’s Fairy Council, SuperPower Cans change up the gameplay by giving Rayman a suit of diღfferent powers like cyclone punches and guided rockets. The powers added a great dynamic layer to the gameplay, as well as a stylish new set of duds for Rayman himself.
Unfortunately, the feature was not included in subsequen🐲t entries, leaving players to ponder what could have been.
6 Music Levels - Rayman Legends 🍒
Every world in Rayman Legends is capped off with a music level that sends players on a sprint through a challenging platforming course in sync with a spicy music track. Some tracks are original compositions for the game, but other levels use re-imagined co🥀ver versions of licensed tracks.
It’s hard to think of a better way to travel to a new world. They're also a great way to introduce elements of rhythm games without needing to commit to a new set of mechanics.
5 🎐 The Cave Of Bad Dreams - Rayman 2: The Great Escapes 🐻
It’s hard to count how many players were terrified by Rayman 2’s Cave of Bad Dreams level. Many of th🐟e game’s levels have an eerie vibe, but the cave is especially horror-focused, with creepy music, monsters, and an abundance of skulls.
Most players will point to the chase with Jano, the cave’s warden, as the real stress test. The final chase sequence, which is shown from the grisly perspective of Jano's teeth-filled mouth, is nothing short of harrowing.
4 Mr. Dark Boss 🍷Fight - Rayman
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The final challenge of the original 1996 platformer is a boss fight with the nefarious Mr. Dark. Unfortunately fo🃏r Rayman, Mr. Dark has the ability to combine powers from all the past bosses that Rayman faced at the end of each world.
Creative combinations of boss attacks allow for a great challenge, and the fight also serves as a fun curtain call for the game’s villains. More boss encounters should take notes on tജhis memorable fight
3 ꦅ Power Of The Leptus - Rayman 🌱3
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After successfully navigating through the terrifying catacombs of the Knaaren (a sequence that is still horrifying to play), Rayman is forced to fight Knaaren champion Reflux. It’s a fun fight, but the real prize is the arcane power of the Leptus. Keeping true to Rayman’s humor, the new power simply lets Raym🥃an turn black lums into health-giving red lums by making a funny face at them.
It's not just a gimmick power, though. Health can be hard to find at times, and the ability to get it from slain enemies can make a world of difference in the more combat-focused levels.
2 20,000 Lums Under The Sea - Rayman Legends 𝔉
A cool underwater aestheti🎉c combined with escalating new challenges and a helping of stealth make th🌜is 20,000 lums the best world in all the 2D Rayman games.
The diversity of♍ mechanics keeps the pacing up and makes the area a joy to play. After several levels of sneak and swimming, the world ends with a spectacular back-to-back chase sequence and boss fight.
1 𝓰 The Great Escape - Rayman 2: The Great Escape 🌟
Rayman 2’s titular “great escape” takes place only a few minutes into th🔯e game. Following some bleak exposition on t🌺he state of the robot pirate invasion, we find Rayman and Globox already captured aboard the main prison ship.
All hope isn’t lost, however, as it’s revealed that Globox has snuck a silver lum on board with enouꦺgh energy to bring back Rayman’s powers. The duo blow a hole through the ship and escape, starting the game off with an excellent bang.